Students burned with iron during school hazing

'Phenomena that are regarded as inacceptable in society at large have become normalized'

Published: 08/29/2013 at 12:57 AM

(Associated Press) Authorities in Sweden temporarily shut down one of the country’s most renowned boarding schools Wednesday after repeated, shocking incidents of bullying and hazing — including one in which students were burned with an iron.

The Swedish Schools Inspectorate ordered the Lundsbergs school to close down until its management can assure the safety of the boys and girls enrolled there.

Lundsbergs, founded in 1896, is the oldest of Sweden’s three national boarding schools. Located in Storfors, a small village outside Karlstad in central Sweden, it teaches about 200 students aged 13-18. Its graduates include many famous politicians, business leaders and royals, most recently Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip, who graduated in 1999.